Latest News

Club Statement regarding recent allegations

Posted on Wednesday, June 24th, 2015 at 12.45.

The Club has remained silent over recent weeks whilst very serious allegations have been continually made by a previous Chairman, Brian Berger including a front page story in last weeks Non League Paper.

Washing ‘dirty linen’ in public is not what the current regime wish to do however the continual allegations require a response and matters clarified.

1. Our manager and previous owners solicitors are writing to Brian Berger requiring an apology and retraction of the allegations in the NLP. The Club will fully support any action. Despite BB stating he did not make the allegations the NLP recorded the interview and will stand up in court confirming the same. The allegation of a deliberate relegation is absurd. A written apology and retraction will be the end of the matter.

2. CVA negotiations continue via the supervisor and their solicitors as well as the football authorities. Our major shareholder paid in £20,000 last year into the CVA which he referred to in another statement. The sum is confirmed in the supervisors report. The fact that this sum went to costs rather than creditors still does not take away it is a considerable sum of money that came out of his own pocket. Further all football creditors were paid up front by Rob Prince in full as part of entering the Conference and exiting administration as per FA rules. Inaccurate statements from BB and his few followers purely damage the club.

BB states he is a creditor of the old company to the tune of £23,000. This is totally disputed and the Club will pursue this as far as is needed. BB even accepted a long service volunteer award from Hampshire FA. BB was paid weekly for his stock taking work in his last two years at the club. No mention of any outstanding sums was ever made to anyone until he was removed from the Club. No letters, emails, no solicitors letters, nothing.Invoices were just produced fraudulently later. BB told a number of supporters that he lent the Club money yet in an email shown he clearly denies this when challenged.
No formal adjudication of claims has been made by the Supervisor. BB’s we fully expect to be thrown out with a small number of other fraudulent claims. Out of approximately 100 claims the club is disputing only four with three substantial others having legal issues. It is these issues that have caused delay to the Supervisor whilst they establish their validity. The support given to the Club by the vast amount of creditors wishing to support the club moving forward is greatly appreciated.

For the record the debt claims put forward by Spencer Day and Robert Prince total in the region of £2m against total claims just over £3m. The £2m is made up by approximately £1m of Directors loans bought from the solicitors of trustees of Simon and Amanda Hollis, approximately £250,000 of loans put into the club by Spencer Day by paying its debts ( all but £5,000 supported by bank statements including £48,000 on one day to various historic creditors) and a charge to Green King of £750,000 for historic debt on Mr Days house which is still active and Mr Day still has to pay whatever the result of the CVA. That charge stopped another winding up petition and is supported by further solicitors documentation. The current offer to the CVA is to write off 100% of those debts even though the individuals concerned still owe others.

3. BB did not resign following a dispute. Enclosed is his true resignation letter. In it he admits his true purpose as was expecting the return of Simon Hollis. This is a criminal offence in its own merits as he was holding office for an undischarged bankrupt. There are no allegations against Simon Hollis.

4. BB has continually asked to return to the club and had some support amongst the management committee until it was disclosed that he was fraudulently claiming in the CVA. He continues to damage the Club by stirring nonsense with anyone who will listen many of which come straight back to the Club to warn us. He clearly wishes its total destruction but we are determined not to let that happen.

5. Despite denials BB was interviewed under caution by the Area Financial Police at Aldershot Police Station last year about numerous allegations about Farnborough FC made by Spencer Day including obtaining money by deception and operating a company whilst insolvent. He had admitted to a number of employees that he had let SD “been sold a pup”. The club are also in possession of emails, but to protect the employees identity will not publish today, where BB accuses employees and their family of stealing from the Club over a long period. The Area Police investigation has been passed to the Insolvency Service Company Criminal department as it involves a company and they await the Supervisors report particularly into particular creditor claims before deciding if their is enough evidence to prosecute. This delay has been particularly frustrating.

This statement has not been issued without thought and everyone on the management committee input on whether to comment at all. However being front page of the NLP requires a one off reply with such serious allegations.

Only one person, BB, has been banned from the Club. Football is about opinions and supporters have every right to voice their support, hate, anger, joy or whatever on forums or in person. Some abuse has gone too far from a tiny minority and will not be tolerated from this point. Huge sums of money and time have been put into the Club by the current management committee to keep the club alive. We are determined to continue our growth by closing the historic issue of the CVA and the cost to many listed above is vast. 98% of the debts were run up by previous management with BB as a Director or Chairman. Over the past two years the club has paid its bills and run self sufficiently and begun the rebuilding process with many positives including our Community Team, Our Reading FC connections and the development of the stadium with the opening of the PRE and renovation of our bars and kitchen. Boro FC is totally solvent and continues to trade and grow.

The Club will await the CVA vote and the football authorities decisions over the coming weeks and look forward to moving forward, we will not let a tiny group of people destroy our club,